I first got into football at around the age of 7. It was approaching the 2006 World Cup and all my friends were talking about it. We were also given a project to do at school where we had to research one of the countries competing. I wondered what all the fuss was all about, surely it is just kicking a ball around and it goes in a net once in a while. Little did I know when I turned on the TV on the 9th of June, I was to fall in love with the beautiful game. Germany were facing Costa Rica and within minutes of starting to get interested, Philipp Lahm scored an amazing goal. From then on I was hooked. The game, as you may well know ended 4-2 to Germany. I watched the game with astonishment, the skills these players showed were ten times the quality I'd seen in the school playground. I watched as many games as I could from that tournament, telling my mum to drive faster back from school so I could see any match possible.
At the start of the 2006-7 season I decided I needed a team to support. My favourite was (and still is) red and Manchester United won 5-1 on the opening day so they were my team. I am a glory hunter I do admit! United won the title that year and I was jubilant! I also had a soft spot for Reading, making their first appearance in the premier league. I live only around 45 minutes from the ground and my nan lives there so I always looked out for their results too as I do now. To this day I've seen more Reading games than I have United games and I was exstactic when they were promoted back to the top flight. I have loved watching their comebacks, especially the recent one against Chelsea which gave me a good laugh.
The first ever football game I saw was a Southampton game for my 8th birthday. It was against Burnley in the championship and Gareth Bale played and almost scored, showing glimpses of his talent that rocks the Premier League today. I have seen Reading play 5 times, the most recent being last season against Barnsley. I've seen Manchester United play 3 times, as well as having a stadium tour and I've seen England twice, once at under 18 level and once the full squad against Spain at Wembley, last year.
I have played for a local team for 6 seasons now, at almost every position, with being a goalkeeper the only one to elude me. Those six seasons have been shared between 2 clubs and I currently play as an attacking midfielder in the North East Hants league. I enjoy playing every Sunday even if it is just under 14 level and once the realisation of not becoming a professional footballer sunk in, I knew that I still wanted a job in the sport. I love writing and currently do so for the school magazine and I would love to be employed in sports journalism, if possible football.
That's my life in football so far which I hope will continue.
I'll be back tomorrow discussing the weekend's Premier League Games
Olly Allen
Follow me on twitter: @OllyAllen1998
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